Old College Friends
by RAMSPEL
Summary: Right after the season 2 finale, Cat and Olivia have a brief discussion about certain secrets and how Olivia came to be the President of the United States. A one-shot.


_Author's Note: When Olivia Marston was first revealed to be an alien shapeshifter, I assumed she had just taken over the real President Olivia Marston's identity. Then Cat revealed in 2x21 that Olivia has been living by that identity for decades, long before she was elected president, which to me makes her way more interesting. I started wondering about her background and how she came to be elected president in the first place, so I wrote this one-shot to try to sort it all out. It takes place right after the season 2 finale. And since it looks like (Warning, minor season 3 spoiler at the end of this sentence, and since I don't know how to make spoiler tags on this site, this is the best I can do.) Cat Grant is going to be the new white house press secretary, I think this ties in nicely with season 3._

* * *

"Kiera." Cat Grant called out for her former assistant, her lips curling upward in the faintest of smiles at the sense of nostalgia the act brought her.

A few seconds later Kara appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Ms. Grant?"

"It's nearly midnight and you're still here."

"So are you, Ms. Grant."

"I'm making up for lost time. Apparently, when I leave for a year everything starts to fall apart—literally." She gestured to all the damage from the recent alien attacks.

"Just double-checking my Lena Luthor interview. I'll have the article on your desk by noon tomorrow."

"So your desire to burn the midnight oil comes from being thorough and has nothing to do with your recent change in relationship status?"

"I guess, the thought of going home and facing an empty apartment isn't very appealing," Kara admitted weakly.

"Well, take it from someone who has had more than her fair share of relationships not work out and has spent a lifetime choosing her career over her personal life, you can throw yourself into your work to try to avoid your feelings, but eventually you are going to have to face them. The only way to get past your heartache is to let yourself feel it. Fortunately, it does get easier with time and soon you will find yourself feeling happy again.

Besides, you need to get some rest; you have an early morning tomorrow. The president is supposed to be flying back to National City sometime tonight and I need you at the press conference tomorrow morning."

"You want _me_ to cover the press conference?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what I just said."

"It's just that Snapper usually has Parker cover the president when she's in town."

"Well last time I checked, it is still _my_ name on the building, not Snapper's, and Parker picked the most inconvenient time to go out of town."

"He was attending his grandmother's funeral and he couldn't have known the city would be invaded by Daxamites."

"Either way, you're here and he's not. Now I suggest you go home and get a few hours sleep. We can't have you looking exhausted and disheveled if you're going to be representing Catco." She said looking Kara up and down. "And I still expect your Lena Luthor article on my desk by noon tomorrow."

"Guess I better get going. Have a nice night Ms. Grant."

She turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway staring at Cat's private elevator, apparently listening to something Cat couldn't hear.

A second later the elevator dinged, opened its doors and out walked the President of the United States flanked by two men in black suits.

"Hello, Cat it's good to see you again." The president said, greeting her old friend.

"It's good to see you too Olivia. This is a nice surprise. I wasn't aware that you of all you of all people could just drop in unexpectedly."

"Let's just say I'm not exactly following Secret Service protocol with this visit, but I'm sure this one time I can make an exception, I imagine Catco is one of the safest places in National City."

Turning to Kara, who had been staring awestruck ever since the president got off the elevator, she said. "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Olivia Marston."

"I know," Kara said with a silly smile. "I mean everybody knows who you are. I voted for you."

"Well thank you for your support, but I don't believe you've told me your name."

"Oh yeah. I'm Kara, Kara Danvers."

"The same Kara Danvers who exposed the alien fight club, and uncovered the truth about the supposed runaways who had really been kidnapped to be sold as slaves on some distant planet, this is a pleasure. I've been a fan of your work for quite some time."

" _You've_ read my articles?"

"Of course, you bring attention to a lot of causes that are very important to me. You should be proud."

"Thank you! I can't tell me how much that means to me, especially coming…" Kara trailed off for a minute, her eyes darting to one of the televisions on the back wall.

The volume was too low for Cat to hear, but the screen showed aerial footage of a collapsed building. The caption read, BREAKING NEWS: POPULAR DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT COLLAPSES. Underneath the caption was a news ticker that reported FIREFIGHTERS RUSH TO RESCUE PEOPLE TRAPPED IN THE RUBBLE.

"Especially coming from someone I admire so much." Kara continued. "And I'm sure you have a very busy schedule, so I won't hold you up. It was so nice to meet you."

"You too, and if you're coming to the press conference tomorrow, be sure to give your name to my security. They'll see that you get a good seat."

"Thank you," Kara said before rushing to the stairs.

"Why don't we talk in your office," Olivia suggested.

Cat led the way into the office and sat down on one of the couches. Olivia went in behind her, but when her security detail moved to follow her she stopped them. "Give us a little privacy." They waited outside watching through the glass. She shut the door and took a seat across from Cat. Her eyes went to the live broadcast of the collapsed restaurant. The screen now showing that Supergirl was on the scene. Turning back to Cat who was also watching the newscast, she said. "You know, don't you?"

"Olivia you're going to have to be more specific," Cat said, playing coy while being pretty sure what her friend was referring to. "what exactly do I know?"

"About how a certain employee spends their free time."

"Again you're going to have to be more specific." Even though it seemed pretty obvious she was talking about Kara, Cat couldn't rule out that she might be referring to James and his moonlighting as the Guardian. And Cat didn't want to accidentally reveal Kara's secret by assuming that Olivia already knows she is Supergirl. "I have so many employees and many of them have very unusual—shall we call them—'hobbies'."

"Fine, a certain employee who just hurried out of here after she saw that news broadcast."

"You mean, do I know that Kara rushed out of here to go save those people because she's Supergirl. Yes, I've known that for quite some time. And I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that you know her civilian identity also."

"Oh, I've known about her long before she started wearing the red cape. Does she know that you know her secret?"

"No, and it's getting to be pretty insulting. I can respect her reasons for not telling me, but she is so terrible at keeping secrets and coming up with excuses for having to leave at a moment's notice that I'm starting to wonder how oblivious she thinks I must be to have fallen for her ruse."

"I wouldn't take offense. She probably believes that you see what you expect to see, most people do."

"I guess you would know all about that."

"Yes, well that's why I'm here. We haven't really had a chance to talk, at least not in private, since Air Force One was shot down."

"Olivia if you're worried I'm going to out you to the world, don't be. I've known the truth about who Supergirl is for quite some time and I have kept her identity a secret. And I will do the same for you."

"Thank you Cat, that's good to hear, but asking for your confidentiality is not the only reason I'm here, knowing you, I'm sure that you have a few questions—off the record of course."

"Yes well, I do have a few questions. For starters, does Charlie know?" Cat asked, referring to Olivia's husband and who had been widowed with three young children, whom Olivia had adopted when they married.

"There are no secrets between Charlie and me. I would never have agreed to marry him and become the mother to his children if he hadn't known the truth about me."

"Do the kids know?'

"The girls know, but Reed doesn't. We're still waiting until he's adult to tell him, it's what we did with the girls." Olivia's son Reed was only a few months older than Cat's younger son, Carter.

"Who else knows? Does your staff know? Does the Vice President? And what about the rest of the government?"

"Callahan doesn't know, but it's only so he can truthfully deny knowing anything in case my secret ever does come out. I know that if I'm outed, I'll have to step down. And I want him to be able to distance himself from me, so he will not have to assume the presidency while being linked to a scandal.

As far as the rest of the government, there are a small number of my staff, the Secret Service, and a few other government officials who know about me, but most are in the dark. The truth about where I'm from is such a bombshell, the fewer people know, the better my chance that my secret won't come out."

Cat nodded. "Then considering what you have to hide, why did you choose to go into a career where your whole life would be under a microscope?"

Olivia's expression grew solemn and Cat could see her friend was thinking very hard about how to phrase her answer.

"Becoming president was not something I planned on when I first came to Earth and it's certainly not part of some elaborate alien conspiracy to take over your planet. I came to your planet after, Durla, my home planet was invaded and my people were enslaved." She spoke slowly and paused several times trying to keep her voice even and her emotions in check. "When I first arrived here, all I wanted was to live a quiet life pretending to be human. And for a long time, I tried to do just that. I went years living many different lives trying to be human and to forget who I really was. But no matter how hard I tried to forget about Durla and not think all my friends and loved ones I had left behind, I couldn't."

"I had escaped, been given a second chance at life when so many others—good, innocent people who deserved it far more than me, hadn't. And so I decided to devote my new life to them and use my second chance to make a difference in the world, which led me to politics. Still, for the longest time, I hid from the spotlight and tried to make a difference behind the scenes, until I realized that if I wanted to make a real difference and truly help people I was going to have to accept the notoriety that comes with having real influence. I chose to give up my privacy and risk one day being exposed because that is the only way I can hopefully keep this planet from making the same mistakes that mine did."

When she finished her story, they both sat there quietly. Olivia was drained emotionally, and Cat was struggling to find words to offer to this revelation. She had sat there quietly listening intently the whole time Olivia spoke, seeing the woman she'd known for years in a whole new light.

Then after several seconds passed Cat said, "Well for the sake of the American people and the rest of the planet, I'm glad you did decide to go into politics. You know for years I always wondered why you were so different, how you could be so genuine and be more concerned with helping people and than furthering your own agenda and legacy while working in an environment fraught with corruption and deception. And now that I'm hearing the words out loud, I really should have figured out a lot sooner, that you couldn't possibly be from this planet."

Olivia laughed. "Cat, you may talk like you're a complete cynic, but I know you're more of an optimist than you like to let on. I know what exposing my secret could do for your career, just like a story exposing the true identity of Supergirl would be huge for you, and yet you are still willing to keep our secrets."

"That's not optimism, I'm just not foolish enough to make an enemy of such powerful women."

"The speech you gave Rhea proves otherwise, no I think deep down you are a lot more of an idealist than anybody knows."

"Don't go spreading that around, I have a reputation to maintain."

Olivia got to her feet. "It's been great talking with you, but I have to get going, duty calls. I hope you don't mind me using your private elevator again."

"Of course not," Cat said walking her old friend to the elevator. "if you take a left when you get to the lobby you can exit into the alley and avoid anyone who might recognize you."

"Oh, I don't think I have to worry about that," Olivia said with a smile, a second later her face transformed into a completely different woman.

"Right," Cat muttered. Then she added. "And now it suddenly makes sense how on the morning after Cheryl Pennington's bachelorette party you managed to look like you'd just spent a week at a spa in all the pictures while the rest of us looked like bodies that had been fished out of the river."

Olivia smiled slyly. "You didn't look that bad."

"Yes we did, and if I haven't made it a point to make sure every copy of the photographs were destroyed before they could be seen by the general public, I'd prove it."

"It's been good catching up," Olivia said stepping into the elevator.

"Good seeing you too," Cat said as the elevator doors started to close. Then a thought occurred to her.

"Olivia," She called out.

Olivia slid her hand between the closing doors causing the motion sensor to force them back open. "Yes?"

"While I will keep your secret as long as you like if you ever do decide to go public, I better get the exclusive. I may let you slide on hiding the alien thing from me, but if you ever decide to tell the world who you are, through some two-bit hack like Lois Lane, I will consider that a betrayal of our friendship."


End file.
